New York Sour Recipe: Oh, Holy Sweet!

Check out this New York Sour recipe. You got it, babe! That’s an astonishing cocktail to try. No debate! It’s classic yet sexy. It’s simple yet satisfying. If you haven’t had one, you’re missing out. Although you don’t really see it much on bar menus, you can certainly make it at home. But, whatever you do, be sure to get a taste of it soon. You’ll be enjoying a sip of history.

About the Traditional New York Sour Recipe

It’s like an amped-up whiskey sour with a dry red wine float aspect to it. The colors and layers are appealing, to boot! I mean, this cocktail calls to you; loud and clear.

Here’s the traditional New York Sour recipe:

2 oz. rye whiskey

1 tsp. superfine sugar

0.75 oz. fresh lemon juice

0.5 oz. dry red wine

The more modern and common (yet still traditional) recipe goes like this:

2 oz. rye whiskey

0.5 oz. simple syrup

0.75 oz. fresh lemon juice

One egg white

0.5 oz. dry red wine

Combine all ingredients except the wine and shake them furiously in a shaker. Next, add ice. Continue shaking for another 15-20 seconds.

You can strain this over ice or not; your cocktail glass should be chilled. Now place an upside-down spoon just above the drink itself. Very carefully, pour the red wine over the back of the spoon. As it runs around and down, you’ll get that striking, iconic New York Sour red float. Magic. And it never gets old.

History and Popularity

The New York
Sour dates back to the 1800s, so it’s a tried-and-true kind of deal. It’s in
the cannon. Honestly, if it’s been around this long, you can anticipate it
being around another 200 years! You can thank scurvy (bet you never thought
you’d read those words) for the lemon, sugar, and water. Back in the day, this
concoction was used for medicine.

It’s gone by
other names. It’s had the title of the Southern Whiskey Sour, as well as the
Continental Sour. As for New York, well, it got really popular there a few
years back, so that’s the name that stuck. Hey, if you’re going to serve it
right and serve it a lot, adopt it and give it your name, why don’t ya!

Honestly, it’s a beautifully balanced cocktail, so it deserves a revival. Spirits, citrus, and a sweetener–what more do you need? Bonus: It’s easy on the eyes. Which certainly never hurts. We all like to look good sipping a cocktail, right? We like to make them say, “I’ll have what she’s having.”

Add a Couple of Twists to the New York Sour

RUM NEW YORK SOUR

A beautiful rum twist from BeautifulBooze.com (website screenshot).

We’ve featured her before, and we’re giving her a shout-out again. Natalie @beautifulbooze shares her spin on a New York Sour right here. She gives you the details, and she actually forgoes the trendier take with the egg white. But you’ll notice the simple syrup and the liquor-swap. We’re cool with it. It’s definitely a stunner!

MAPLE NEW YORK SOUR

A nice maple twist from CookieAndKate.com (website screenshot).

You’ve also
seen Cookie + Kate with us before. We highlight Kate’s recipe here, and we’re all too happy to get on the
bourbon train for this one. She, too, sticks to the New York Sour’s more
traditional recipe, omitting the egg white. And instead of simple syrup, we get
maple syrup. Oh. Yeah.

Thank you, ladies!

Be Sure to Give Those a Try!

We hope you’ll try out a New York Sour recipe soon. Your friends and family will be amazed by the color, and that wine float is ridiculously simple (but so impressive and effective). And if you’re wanting more ideas about the whiskey sour instead, see our article Transform Your Whiskey Sour Now [Recipes]. We love both the traditional and the contemporary takes!

Before you head
off, be sure to pop in and check out our handcrafted decanters and whiskey glasses. They’re just what your basement bar,
vacation home, kitchen, or study needs. Your she-shed or mancave will never be
the same with these on the countertop.

One more thing:
leave us a comment below and share with us your favorite twist on the New York
Sour recipe. We’d like to see your creativity and try it for ourselves!

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Each decanter is handcrafted and hand-blown, formed into designs limited only by imagination. We never skip steps to cut costs either. Instead, our decanters are made the hard way because quality takes effort and that’s what you deserve.
And that goes for all of our products. Everything you buy from Prestige is created with premium grade materials that stand the test of time. We’re also environmentally friendly and we plant a tree to help promote U.S. forestry every time you buy.

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